Don't look now, but the Blue Jackets might finally be ironing out their biggest issues.
Their penalty killing is getting back to its peak effectiveness after a two-month slump, and that nagging habit of blowing leads is dissipating, even against some of the NHL's top teams. Count the Edmonton Oilers as the latest to learn the hard way, falling behind 3-0 in the first period to the upstart Blue Jackets on Thursday before falling 4-2 in front of 17,718 at Nationwide Arena.
"There's something happening with that team," Blue Jackets coach Pascal Vincent said. "I've said that for a while, but it keeps growing. Now we have the confidence on the ice. It's just one game. We understand that. But the way we're playing right now, it's not by accident. Our support system on the ice, offensively and defensively, it's not by mistake. ... so, real good signs."
Edmonton had a slight edge in shots (11-10) after one period, but the Blue Jackets had a 3-0 lead on goals by Mathieu Olivier , Alex Nylander and rookie Dmitri Voronkov , whose 17th goal moved him into a tie with Chicago 's Connor Bedard and Minnesota 's Marco Rossi for the lead in rookie goals.
Edmonton got one back in the second on a goal by Zach Hyman , but the Jackets didn't crumble and still led 3-1 starting the third.
As recently as a few weeks ago, that would've been a nightmare scenario for the Blue Jackets (22-31-10). On the season, they'd been outscored 90-55 in third periods and coughed up 13 leads in that period during 12 defeats. The Oilers (38-21-2), led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl , came into the game averaging 3.5 goals per game and outscoring opponents by a 77-54 margin in the third.
They pulled within 3-2 on a goal by Corey Perry to cap a power play at 12:08, but that was it for Edmonton's scoring. Jack Roslovic , a potential chip going into Friday's 3 p.m. trade deadline , sealed the Jackets' victory by scoring into an empty net with 19.2 seconds left.
Another lead became a victory in Columbus , similar to recent wins here over the New York Rangers and Vegas Golden Knights .
"Well, I think we exhausted the manual on what not to do (to protect leads)," Blue Jackets center Sean Kuraly said. "So, I think the only thing left was to do something different ... and that's what we did."
Backup Daniil Tarasov started in the Blue Jackets' net and made 29 saves to earn the goaltending win over Edmonton backup Calvin Pickard (30 saves).
"It was tough games, previously, when we got the lead and we lost (those) games," Tarasov said. "I think everybody got some lessons from it and we're just feeling sharp and building confidence. There was no panic when they scored their second goal. We just played simple and played as a huge group tonight."
Here are five more takeaways:
Vincent said what most impressed him about Tarasov's day was something that happened at the morning skate.
The Jackets' starter took a shot to the neck by a teammate and had to see a physician about it. Despite limited mobility with his head, Tarasov didn't want to miss the opportunity to play.
"He spent the afternoon at the doctor's (office), and he could barely move his head," Vincent said. "And he told us, 'I want to play that game.' That's a step for us. I'm telling you. This team is going somewhere at some point, and these little things. ... Olivier training hard (while being scratched) to get back to where he can be, Tarasov saying, 'No, I'm playing tonight,' even though he had a hard time moving his head. There's something happening with that team."
Tarasov made 11 saves in the first, nine on 10 shots in the second and stopped another nine shots in the third to earn the win. That included facing a 5-on-3 power play for Edmonton.
"I was just trying to play, not thinking about how there were just three (teammates) there," Tarasov said. "They move the puck pretty quick, so we did really good in transition, I think. They didn't get any big (scoring) chances on that PK and the guys did an awesome job."
Just like he did in a 4-2 victory over the New York Rangers on Feb. 25 , Olivier got the Blue Jackets going with a decisive fight in the first period.
He also added a goal to give the Jackets a 1-0 lead at 6:20 of the first. Nylander made it 2-0 with 5:06 left in the opening frame, which set the stage for Olivier and newly acquired Oilers forward Sam Carrick to drop the gloves off the ensuing draw. Olivier caused the most damage in the scrap and gave a little howl before heading to the penalty box, where he watched Voronkov make it 3-0 less than a minute later.
Oliver, who struggled to regain his health after an undisclosed leg injury last year, spent much of this season watching games as a healthy scratch. He kept working hard in practices, not complaining, and is now capitalizing on having a regular spot in the lineup with three forwards out.
"When you're in and out, it's never easy," Olivier said. "You want to be in there to contribute, but you also want to be in there to get your rhythm. Playing multiple games in a row here definitely helps with that. It facilitates my role and the way I want to play out there."
The Blue Jackets' fourth line was given a task against the Oilers that isn't for the weak of heart.
Sean Kuraly , Justin Danforth and Olivier were matched up much of the game against McDavid's line and came out on top. McDavid pushed his point streak to 13 straight games with an assist on Hyman's goal in the second, but that happened with help from an odd puck bounce while the Blue Jackets' top line was in the game.
Otherwise, Kuraly's group plus the Jackets' defensemen kept the Oilers in check.
"We did well on (McDavid) tonight as a group," Kuraly said. "It's a group effort, and you kind of take a little piece of him every time and just get in his way and make him know it's going to be a tough night. It can't be a lot of open ice."
Roslovic, 27, is a pending unrestricted free agent who's the Blue Jackets' most likely player to be traded before Friday's deadline.
He's from Columbus, has enjoyed playing four seasons in his hometown and is ready for whatever his future holds, whether it's being traded to a contender to chase the Stanley Cup or riding into free agency with the Jackets.
"I don't ever have to pledge any sort of allegiance here," Roslovic said. "It's my home. I love it here. If I don't get traded, then playing on the first line for any NHL organization is pretty awesome, so it's just keeping the standard of play high and still trying to grow anywhere you are. You have the same thought of getting better and improving here, but if I were to move, then you look at the playoffs. But your mindset stays the same."
It was fitting to see Roslovic hit the empty net to seal the victory against Edmonton, taking a pass from Alexandre Texier and sliding the puck into the cage for what might've been his final goal for the team he grew up cheering for.
"Obviously, I'd love to stay," Roslovic said. "It's been four years, and you look at a lot of the turnover this team's had in four years, which is not that long ago ... the dressing room looks a lot different. I've got a really close bond here. I really like the guys here. I like what they're all about."
Another player taking advantage of an opportunity with the Blue Jackets is Nylander, whose goal gave him five goals, two assists and seven points in his first seven games since being traded to Columbus by the Pittsburgh Penguins for Emil Bemstrom .
Nylander, 26, was selected eighth overall in 2016 by the Buffalo Sabres and hasn't gotten an extended look in the NHL outside of one full season with the Chicago Blackhawks , which ended with a serious knee injury.
Nylander had played just four games with the Penguins this season and was toiling in the American Hockey League prior to the trade. Since his arrival, he's fit seamlessly into the Jackets' third line centered by surging third-year center Cole Sillinger . Nylander, Sillinger and Texier have developed quick chemistry together, which paid off in another goal against the Oilers.
Sillinger hit Nylander in the slot with a nice feed and watched his new teammate beat Pickard with a wrist shot for his fifth goal. The Blue Jackets topped 70% in 5-on-5 shot attempts with their line and the fourth group centered by Kuraly.
Those two lines were instrumental in helping the Blue Jackets turn their late lead into another victory.
"We handled it well, and I keep saying it ... it's a lot better to learn this way, when we do it right, and we can get the pattern down of how to win a game," Kuraly said. "We've made some mistakes in the past, but I think we learn the most when we teach ourselves how to win these games. These are good teams. They're getting ready for the playoffs, and we've got to continue to learn the pattern than it takes to win these games."
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Blue Jackets edge Oilers for another impressive win: 6 takeaways
